RW Forum Six – Sub 4 Running Rachel with Cheerful Dave

Hello all,
I'm planning either Belfast or Limerick on Mayday weekend and have 2 weeks done of an 18 week plan.

Returned to running 9 mths ago (AFTER 6 YEARS OFF!) when the scales were telling me I was 17 stone! Have done 3 halfs since and scales are now showing a more respectable 14 stone.

Looking for sub 4... most recent half was 1.53 .
PB for half is 1.41 but that was in another life 6 years ago when PB for marathon was 3.44!

LSR yesterday of 15 miles @ 9.30 m/mls with nice low avg HR of 140bpm.

Great see everyone's training is goimg well and more importantly that everyone seems to be enjoying it!

Welcome Ricky! What an inspirational wight loss! Sounds like you're at a very similar stage/pace in training to me. I look forward to hearing about your journey!

Carter, I can't log on to Run Britain- grrrrr...I know I've registered! Will try again later!

Could not chance intervals this morning. Way too many frozen puddles..it was more of a mental workout scanning the pavement in front of me every step. Felt ridiculously slow and at one point I wondered whether it was just junk miles? Or is it better to have the time on your feet anyway? ANyway..4 miles at 9:30 min mile pace. If this weather continues, I'll be dusting off the treadmill for sure!

Morning Rachel. I think it's wisest not to attempt outside speedwork at the moment. I took the mutts for a walk this morning and, as you say, it was pretty tricky conditions.  I'm still undecided wether to do some speedwork at the gym at lunchtime or risk waiting until this evening and go to the track. Of course, the conditions could have got worse later and I dont really want to miss a session, although it's not the end of the world if I do. Well done for getting out this morning anyway 

Cheers Rachel - a journey is what it is! You are an earlybird! - I'm the opposite and run late anoons/evenings during the week. LSR usually early sun morns though.

I run 5  times a week with MON & FRI as rest days - today is "tempo" tuesday with a 5 miler scheduled in at under 8 m/mls if I can manage it. Weather is ok - it snowed on Sunday morning whilst out on my LSR but didnt lie. No snow since & nothing forecast today *everything crossed*.

I too hate missing sessions Carter and am considering purchasing a treadmill to avoid going out on those foul dark wet nights - not a fan of treadmill running at all though & hate gyms with a passion! World of treadmills seems to be a minefield though & really not sure which are good & which are bad - must get googling.  

Hope everyone has a good session today & take care in the slippery conditions!

It's a shame Rachel, but you did the right thing.  Is there anywhere you can get off-road at that time of the morning?  It's often less slippy, and you get more of a workout for less speed, if you see what I mean.  Not too many floodlit tracks though!

Another option is shoes - some road shoes are OK in slippy conditions, others are just awful.  Studded trail shoes (I've use Mizuno Wave Harriers, others are available) are better on ice as well as being better off road than road shoes (well duh!).  Not a cheap option though, but if ever you needed an excuse to try some new shoes then this is it.

Welcome Ricky.  You seem to have a similar schedule to Rachel.  That's an impressive weight reduction by any standards, are you now at racing weight or is there more to come?

I've never really looked at getting my own treadmill, I went through a streak when it seemed every hotel treadmill I got on conked out on me so I didn't fancy spending my own money on something as unreliable.  I have a turbo trainer for my bike that serves when I can't get outdoors.  Have a word on the Gear section, treadmills come up quite often and I'm sure someone can suggest something that fits the bill.

Off road isn't really an option for me sadly. I think the tready may come out tomorrow. It is theoretically possible for me to run after work. I have a Reebok I-run treadmill. Quite basic and you can't enter any scheduled sessions, it's literally push the faster and slower buttone yourself! (You can put it on incline, but it's manual) Anyway..my big thing with the tready is that I just get so hot running, I'd far rather be outside!!

Thanks Dave - a little more weight to come off - 13'7" is my fighting weight - I'm tallish @ 6ft+ so not much left to come off after this..

Hmmmm - jury still out on the treadmills - it might get Mrs W into running though as she has expressed an interest in experimenting on a treadmill before hitting the roads!

Just in from my tempo run - 5 miles @ 38.15 - 7.39 m/ml pace according to Mr Garmin. Pleased with that.

well done for getting a tempo run in these conditions Ricky! My better half has just put my treadmill in front of the TV. I've promised it's only till the weather improves! But I can attempt some tready intervals tomorrow. Can you suggest a pace Dave? I am sure I could push it a smidge faster on the treadmill! (Just hope I don't fall off with boredom!!)

Runningrachel wrote (see)

On the subject of such things I am planning a trip to Sweatshop this eve as they have SIS gels on offer at 64p each! I'm planning to stock up!

Thanks for mentioning that.  I just ordered a batch online.

Intervals on a treadmill are tricky because it's too easy to jack it up to a pace that seems OK for 30 seconds but then you realise that you can't keep it up, and if you fall on a treadmill you'll know about it as my sister will confirm - the bruises were something to behold.  Also, paces on a treadmill often don't bear relation to what you might do on a road.  On the other hand, you can vary the pace between sets to suit.  Your last intervals were at 8:00 or thereabouts, I think.  After a warm up, try the first at (say) 8:15, but feel free to adjust halfway through if you feel the need (faster or slower).  After that, try increasing speed a little for each one.  You'll get more from those progressive intervals than you would from starting too fast and having to slow them down - you might be surprised how quick you can go for the last one.

That's a good pace for a tempo run Ricky - quicker than your half marathon pb pace so with some endurance work over the next few months you're not going to be far off that.

I did my recovery run on Sunday on the treadmill at my gym and found it so boring and hated sharing my training space with others.

Managed to get out for my tempo run tonight. No snow here but with temperatures hovering around zero it was iffy underfoot in a few places but overall it was as normal.

Covered my speed section of 3.33 miles in 24 minutes which averages at 7:11 min/mile. 7 miles in all.

Nearly died in the last few minutes so think that this is about as fast as I can push it.

I guess the trickj with weather like this is to consider altering your week to try and get one of the tempo / interval sessions in as a quality session if things improve and try and get some miles in on the treadmill if you can force yourself.

I guess having a tv in front of the treadmill is better than a blank wall

5.75 miles on a treadmill tonight. Sweated buckets but felt good for it after. 3 x 1 miles @ 8.30 with a WU/CD mile (10.30) and recoveries inbetween. Average pace overall 9.56.

The treadmills are getting a good workout that's for sure!

Good pace there Carl.... we have avoided snow so far but it is forecast for the weekend - just in time for LSR grrrrr

Wednesday Hill session for me tomorrow - 3 ml route with a very steep hill about halfway in... usually do 8 reps on the hill with jog down recovery. Garmin tells me 4 miles for the workout so 1 mile of this must be my hill reps so I guess they are 8 x 100 roughly. Lung bursting stuff!

Just de-lurking....interesting stuff about treadmill running.  I do almost all my intervals on a TM. It's mainly because I run lunchtimes in London and trying to do intervals when you're dodging crowds of people is a nightmare.  So I use the gym and listen to music while I'm doing them.  I'm so used to it now I don't get bored, and I like the fact that the TM lets you regulate your pace.  I like the progressive ones - in fact I have a rule that each fast rep has to be quicker than the previous one (even if it is only by 0.1 kph) - so you have to make sure you know what your top speed can be each time, and not start too quick for the first one!

Oh, and I'm the sister CD mentioned who fell off the TM! I did that thing where you hop off while it's still going (I think I wanted to change the playlist on my iPod or something), and I thought I had put the TM on pause so didn't think when I stepped back on - basically my legs went from under me and I crashed off the back straight into another TM behind. Massive colourful bruise on my leg and a gashed knee! It didn't help that it was about 3-4 days before VLM 2011, but thankfully it didn't hinder my running  

Just done 4 miles on the treadmill. One mile warm up, then 4 mins at 7:30 min mile, followed by 1 min recovery. Did 3 intervals, but couldn't manage the 4th, so ran at a comfortable pace to finish the distance. To be fair, my treadmill only shows miles per hour rather than pace, so I had to guess...and maybe overestimated how fast I needed to run?

Hi Freemers! Ooo..your fall sounds painfull!! Wow you must be a serious running family!! Do you have an impressive marathon PB too?

WIll catch up properly later..off to pick up kids!

Runningrachel wrote (see)

 then 4 mins at 7:30 min mile, 

 

Not bad for an old girl !!

:P Carter, watch your back matey 'cos this old girl might just beat you!!!

Great tempo run Dd. I am hating this weather Soooo much easier just to get up and run in the mornings..I went through a mental battle before I finally got changed after work! I must admit the accountability of this thread works wonders!!